the product of a chemical reaction is phosphoric acid (h3po4). which elements must be in the reactants and how many atoms of each
A word to the wise.
You START sentences with a capital letter. You note that h3po4 doesn't mean a thing although H3PO4 does.
The question wants you to recognize that you must start with at least 3 atoms of H, 1 atom of P, and 4 atoms of O to make 1 molecule of H3PO4. As to how many atoms of each you need; that is undefined since the problem doesn't tell you how much H3PO4 is to be produced.
could you explain that a little more, please
The formula of phosphoric acid, H3PO4, means each molecule of H3PO4 consists of 3 atoms of hydrogen, 1 atom of phosphorus, and 4 atoms of oxygen.
To determine which elements must be in the reactants and the number of atoms of each, we need to identify the elements present in phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and balance the chemical equation.
Phosphoric acid consists of three hydrogen atoms (H), one phosphorus atom (P), and four oxygen atoms (O).
Let's set up a balanced chemical equation using the reactants, denoted as X and Y:
X + Y → H3PO4
Since phosphoric acid contains hydrogen, phosphorus, and oxygen, we know that the reactants must also include these elements. Let's assign them accordingly:
X = Hydrogen-containing compound
Y = Phosphorus-containing compound
To balance the chemical equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is equal. In this case, we have one phosphorus atom (P) and three hydrogen atoms (H) on the product side.
Therefore, we need to account for these numbers in the reactants:
X + Y → H3PO4
From the product, we can identify that we need three hydrogen atoms (H) in the reactants. This means X should contain compounds with three hydrogen atoms.
Similarly, we have one phosphorus atom (P) in the product. Therefore, Y should contain compounds with one phosphorus atom.
In summary, the reactants should contain a compound with three hydrogen atoms (H) and a compound with one phosphorus atom (P).